Responses like ‘Sports needs villains’, ‘she gagged them so bad’, and ‘elite troll’ were among the reactions to a tennis player’s provocative interaction with the audience during a match.
The 11th-ranked player globally, Danielle Collins from the United States, faced off against Destanee Aiava in front of a supportive Melbourne crowd for the 24-year-old Australian at Melbourne Park on January 16.
Throughout the two-hour-and-25-minute match, Collins endured jeers as she competed against the last remaining Australian in the tournament. Upon securing her victory, the 31-year-old surprised the audience with a ‘vulgar’ gesture aimed at those booing her.
The Australian Open’s Twitter account shared a brief video of Collins taunting the crowd after her win, captioning it: “Little bit of prime ‘Hollywood’ Hulk Hogan about Danielle Collins post match!”
Mirroring a WWE Hall of Famer’s bravado, she repeatedly shouted ‘How ’bout that!’ while encouraging the crowd to express their disapproval, blowing kisses, and then, as she walked behind the umpire, kissed her hand and slapped her backside, implying ‘kiss my ass’.
While some found her crowd-teasing entertaining, opinions varied regarding her behavior.
A critical Twitter user remarked: “The gasp was because we have manners down here unlike dumb, rude, brash Americans. Let’s see how she goes when she’s soundly beaten in the next round.”
Conversely, another user stated: “Danielle Collins is an [American] legend. Watching her antics is a great reminder why I love being an [American].”
A third added: “She gagged them so bad when she told them to kiss her ass…you could hear the collective gasp.”
However, not all Australians opposed her actions; some believed it was beneficial for the sport, which is traditionally seen as a ‘gentlemen’s game’.
One Australian wrote: “I’m Australian. I have no dramas with this. Thought her villainy was awesome & tennis can do with these characters… well done Danielle. Come again & go even harder!”
Another questioned: “How can anyone’s reaction to her be anything but to laugh?! Like girl is COMEDY.”
Another person added: “Elite troll. Sports needs villains.”
Collins defeated Aiava, ranked 165th globally, with scores of 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-2. At one point, she even turned to a fan to shout ‘shut up’ as the Australian Open seeks to draw non-traditional audiences, resulting in more boisterous fans.
After the match, both Collins and Aiava expressed their enjoyment of playing in such an enthusiastic environment.
“I love playing in a crowd that has energy, regardless of what side they’re on. It just motivates me even more, so it’s kind of a good thing, especially when I’m not playing that well,” Collins stated.
She continued: “I think there were a lot of people that were super drunk and had a hard time controlling themselves and were really excited.”
Aiava also commented: “It was very different, I think we could use a little bit more of that in tennis.”